The NBPA is urging people from ethnic minority backgrounds to refrain from joining the Metropolitan police in response to a discriminatory and unjustified misconduct probe against a prominent officer.
The Met Black Police Association (Met BPA) has issued its first boycott call in two decades, citing the targeting of their chair, Charles Ehikioya, for speaking out against the misconduct of higher-ranking officers and the racism experienced by him and his fellow officers.
The specific wrongdoing has not been disclosed, however the NBPA stated that Ehikioya was subjected to racial discrimination in a WhatsApp group. Instead of acknowledging him as a victim, there was a deliberate and coordinated attempt to gather questionable evidence against him.
Andy George, the president of the NBPA, said: “The timing of this complaint leads me to believe that there is a desire to remove any dissenting voices from public discourse. Given the crisis in confidence highlighted through so many incidents and reports, I cannot say that we can adequately protect and support officers of colour within the MPS [Metropolitan police service].
“Due to this, I am taking the unprecedented action of stating that we no longer have faith in the commissioner or his top leadership team to implement the required and pledged changes to the organization.”
I regretfully advise against individuals from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds joining the MPS until the commissioner is held to a higher level of accountability and the Met BPA receives additional resources to offer comprehensive support to those in need.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) emphasized the results of a significant report from last year by Louise Casey. The report stated that Black officers were 81% more likely to experience misconduct compared to their white colleagues.
According to Casey, individuals of color who speak out about misconduct may face backlash and accusations from their colleagues. This is a common occurrence in the culture of the Met, where speaking up can have negative consequences for the person making the complaint.
The NBPA said Ehikioya had been place under restrictions that prevented him from being involved in any cases that involved discrimination and from attending meetings with the mayor’s office for policing and crime. It also claimed a commander emailed him within hours of the misconduct notice being served, asking him when he would be stepping down.
Former NBPA chair Leroy Logan stated that the MPS has made efforts to hinder the creation of the Met BPA and has continuously attempted to silence the truthful opinions of its members in public discussions. As a former chair of the Met BPA, I personally experienced targeting, so it is not unexpected that the current chair is also being targeted.
The campaign group, Alliance for Police Accountability, stated that a potential boycott of national Black police recruitment could prompt the implementation of authentic and transparent antiracist reform in the MPS.
Lee Jasper, the chairperson, stated that the misconduct system being used by the MPS to target Black officers is not acceptable. This highlights the presence of a harmful policing culture of racism and discrimination that needs to be aggressively addressed and completely eliminated.
According to him, Sir Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, refused to acknowledge that the Met has institutional racism, despite it being identified in the Casey review. This blind spot is hindering any meaningful advancement.
Commander Colin Wingrove stated that there is no room for racism and that all types of discrimination should be confronted by every Metropolitan police officer and staff member.
It is not acceptable to talk about the specifics of an upcoming misconduct procedure that must be conducted without any outside influence.
The most recent plea for a boycott came after Supt Ali Dizaei, who was once predicted to become the first ethnic minority chief constable, was cleared of all charges in 2003. He had been accused of endangering national security, using drugs, and soliciting sex workers, but these allegations were ultimately proven to be unfounded.
In 2012, Ali Dizaei was found guilty of committing criminal acts, sentenced to prison, and ultimately fired from the police force.
Source: theguardian.com
